By Ryan Smith
The increasing popularity of superhero movies, such as those produced by Marvel Studios, is undeniable. It seems that each new film released breaks multiple box office records. With Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War grossing over $2 billion worldwide (Box Office Mojo, 2018), the genre of superhero movies has amassed a vast following. Many of these films, however, depict very few female heroes, and when they do, these characters are often much weaker than their male counterparts.
Currently, one of the most popular female superheroes actually has no superpower at all. Black Widow, of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is a highly trained and highly intelligent spy. She has exceptional combat skills and leadership qualities but she lacks real knockout punch type firepower. She often times needs a male hero like Hulk or Thor — both of whom are incredibly powerful and masculine — to step in and save the day.
Pennell and Behm-Morawitz (2015) point out in their article that, “images and messages within these popular films can reinforce as well as create gender stereotypical expectations” (Pennell & Behm-Morawitz, 2015, p.212). This idea that popular culture can create and reinforce stereotypical expectations is one that we have discussed extensively in this class. While there are some female characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, like Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel (coming in March, 2019), who have extraordinary power that can rival many of the male heroes, they are often seen as side characters with minimal stardom. It is yet to be seen what impact Captain Marvel will have on the franchise of movies but as of today female characters, for the most part, are presented either as weaker heroes or victims in need of a male savior. Pennell & Behm-Morawitz determined that, “women in U.S. action films are often exploited, using only their sexuality as the focus of their characters; and those characters are not offered complexity in the film’s storyline” (Pennell & Behm-Morawitz, 2015). This can be detrimental to the perceptions of female characters by female viewers, especially young girls.
Until very recently, female roles in these films have been, for the most part, as love interests of a male hero, victims, or lesser heroes. Women characters have also been objectified and used to add sex appeal by depicting them in promiscuous clothing and given sexualized roles. Pennell & Behm-Morawitz found that their “results cautiously suggest that viewing superheroines in superhero films may, at least temporarily, lower body esteem for female viewers” (Pennell, H., & Behm-Morawitz, 2015). These results indicate that the perception of female characters in superhero films yields a negative effect on female viewers. This is increasingly concerning considering Katharine’s discussion in her post yesterday, where she asserts that young girls are very suggestible in regards to the characters they see on screen. While many young boys dress up as their favorite superhero for Halloween, girls often choose to emulate their favorite movie character as well. With the already established stereotypes of these characters established by film — male heroes being the stronger more dominant presence — children are forced to accept these stereotypes and play them out in real life.
It is evident that women are underrepresented in film (Kidd, 2014). While Marvel and other superhero movie studios, such as DC, have produced films with female leads such as Wonder Woman (2017) and Captain Marvel (2019), it took almost ten years for this to happen. While fans await the release of Captain Marvel, which stars Brie Larson as the incredibly powerful female hero, it is yet to be seen if these gender stereotypes will shift in the near future.
Keywords: Femininity, Gender Norms, Gender Stereotypes, Marvel, Popular Culture
Keywords: Femininity, Gender Norms, Gender Stereotypes, Marvel, Popular Culture
Word Count: 597
References
Pennell, H., & Behm-Morawitz, E. (2015). The empowering (super) heroine? The effects of sexualized female characters in superhero films on women. Sex roles, 72(5-6), 211-220. doi:10.1007/s11199-015-0455-3
Kidd, D. (2014). Men are from marlboro country, women are from wisteria lane. In Pop culture freaks: identity, mass media, and society (pp. 95-128). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018). (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2018, from https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=marvel0518.htm
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Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post. You did a great job summarizing the problem of how female superheroes are represented in movies and you were able to present the problems of misrepresentation and underrepresentation.
I completely agree with how the way these female characters are presented affects young female viewers. As you mentioned, more recently, movie studios have started to produce movies with strong female leads. Unfortunately, I don’t think that having only a few movies with powerful female superheroes, compered to dozens where female characters are objectified and presented as weak, will shift the gender stereotypes, however, it is a step in the right direction.
Good job on this post!
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting post and necessary conversation. I agree that women are both underrepresented and plagued with stereotypes when they are represented in television and film. Representation can have a huge impact on people's self esteem and how they view themselves. If Marvel featured female superheroes with a large amount of physical power and intelligence, young women growing up will know that they don't just have to be "dainty" princesses when they grow up.
Black Panther is also a great example of the importance of representation. Because of Black Panther, young Black girls and boys will grow up knowing that they can be superheroes without the influence of racist stereotypes, or conditions trying to dismantle their blackness. The movie Princess and the Frog was also the first time that many young black girls, myself included, were able to see ourselves as capable of being a princess.
Well done, Ryan.
ReplyDeleteApart from some problems with our house style and the APA reference for the film, this is a first rate post.
You've selected a timely topic that fits well with your group's theme week. What's more, you've made productive connections with our course content and concerns.
I especially appreciate your effort to extend the conversation through reference to previous posts. This demonstrates clear and substantive engagement with class material and discussions online and off.
Finally, you've identified and made good use of some relevant academic work on the gender politics of the superhero genre. Some elaboration on how/if new films featuring female superheroes complicate Pennell & Behm-Morawitz's argument would make this an even more incisive piece.
28/30 pts.